The Bats of Polphail Village

Polphail Village at Portavadie was constructed to house workers for the then booming oil industry at Portavadie in the 1970s. The oil terminal there was abandoned and the houses soon fell into a state of dilapidation. They were never occupied.

The village made the news in 2009 when art collective Agents of Change used it as a canvas for some stunning graffiti art with haunting representations of people, faces and abstract designs. Sadly, the works of art are now gone Although as the village was completely demolished in 2016.

Polphail, however, is not completely abandoned. Hundreds of bats took up residence in the old houses and, prior to the last demolishing of the buildings, a new custom built roost was required to be built by law. Businessman Sandy Bulloch, who owns the land, spent £20,000 creating the roost complete with heating for the protected species.

Wildlife lovers often visit the area in the hope of seeing the bats who really add to the atmosphere of the place especially around the nearby standing stones.